Page 8 of The Fortunate Ones
It was a step I hadn’t been able to take yet. I’d seen Brooks naked plenty. I’d watched all the other guys fuck him and do all kinds of depraved things. Hell, I’d come right on his face before. I’d also done a lot with Wes, but it had all involved me watching or touching him. Even Wes, with how comfortable I was becoming with him, with how much I loved calling him Daddy these days and the love and security I got from him, couldn’t touch me while he was naked. We’d tried a couple of times, and the second I’d felt his fingers even graze me, I would shut down.
But that chill that usually ran down my spine never came. There was no panic, no nausea. Nothing but vague pleasantness from the sensation.
“Let’s give Diego a little breathing room, sweetheart,” Wes suggested gently, knowing Brooks meant nothing by it and not wanting him to feel bad. I gave Wes’s hand a small squeeze to let him know I was okay as Brooks sheepishly backed away. “Fuck, sorry, D. I forgot I was naked.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. But it’s fine. I was good.”
Brooks grinned, his eyes lighting up. “Good! You know I never mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Before the subject could get awkward, Skye slipped in. “Hey, sunshine, there’s something we want to give you too.” He gestured at Diego and Wes to indicate whowemeant.
Brooks cocked his head to the side, looking like a tatted golden retriever. “You do?”
Skye leaned over and licked along Brooks jawline and cheek, laughing when my brother squealed and tried to escape Skye’shold. “Yes, sunshine. It is your birthday. Did you think we wouldn’t have a present for you?”
All of us also had less personal, PG gifts to give him as well, but we’d do that during the cookout tomorrow with our families. This was too intimate to give in front of our parents and Wes’s kids.
Brooks bounced again before touching the collar. He glanced at Luca and Maverick. “And it’s okay that you give it to me now? I don’t wanna mess up whatever the plans are.”
Luca squeezed the back of Brooks’s neck. Then his hands slowly trailed down his front and over his pecs, stopping at his nipples. He gave both rings a tug, and Brooks’s eyes fluttered as he gasped from the sensation. “You’re not, trouble. We know about this. It’s connected, sort of.”
With that confusing bit of information, Wes dug the bracelet box out of his pants and held it out to Brooks.
“What’s this?” Brooks asked breathlessly when Luca twisted his nipple.
“Open it,” I encouraged, squeezing Wes’s free hand tightly. I could tell Mav and Luca had been nervous before they’d presented Brooks with his collar, and I’d thought they were being ridiculous. There’d been no way he’d turn that down. But I understood it now, as a spike of nerves flashed through me as I waited for Brooks.
Wes squeezed back, his hand a little clammy, and holy shit, was the unflappable Wesley Hayes also nervous? I’d seen him deal with some insane shit and his heart rate had barely increased, but now, I bet his smartwatch was going wild.
Brooks took the box, his hands shaking a little as he opened it. I was sure his mind was going a million miles an hour as he tried to guess what we were giving him.
It was a charm bracelet. The thick silver chain looked sturdy and masculine. It would withstand all the bullshit Brooks wouldput it through, made specifically for someone who was active and occasionally found themselves in a fight or two. As of now, there were three slide charms on the band. Brooks’s fingers brushed over them as he studied them.
Tears were already forming his eyes as he took it out of the box with more care than he would a bomb. He brushed a thumb over the one on the left. Wes’s charm. That had been the hardest to decide, as his bond wasn’t quite as strong, but it was growing, and I knew Wes had wanted something to let Brooks know he considered him family. In the end, he’d decided on a Celtic knot. Wes was part Irish, so that was something he wanted to incorporate. Skye had almost picked a sun charm, since he called Brooks sunshine, but then he’d found an axe. Since throwing axes and other weapons had been how the two of them really connected at first, it was perfect. Brooks laughed, eyes full of tears, as he touched that one. And then there was mine. It was a custom-made logo ofFull Metal Alchemist. It was the first anime we’d watched together, and the brothers in the show always reminded me of us.
It took him so long to say anything, the tension that built up in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. I glanced at Wes, but he was staring at Brooks, barely breathing. Skye looked relaxed, but he always did so it was hard to tell with him.
“I-I don’t know what to say,” Brooks finally managed, choked up. “It’s beautiful—I’m . . . Thank you.”
Wes cleared his throat. “I know we all have different dynamics, but the three of us talked, and we know how important a physical claim is to you. We wanted you to know that even if we may not be your Sirs or in a relationship with you the way Luca and Mav are, the three of us all love you, and you mean a lot to us.”
Fuck, nowIwas having a hard time keeping it together. “I-I love you all too.” Brooks turned to me first.
“I’ve said this to you before, but you were my first friend, the first person I could count on, outside of Mom and Pops, the first person I loved. I love you, D. You’ll always be my first.”
I rolled my eyes as Skye tried not to laugh. “You make it sound like I took your virginity.”
Brooks made a face, waving his hand. Luca had stopped tormenting his nipples, but he still had his arms wrapped around him, and he held him tighter now, all our emotions getting the best of us. “Whatever. You know what I mean.”
I softened. “I do. I love you, Brooks. Thanks for accepting me the way I was and never making me feel like a burden.”
“Never.”
Brooks turned to Wes next. “I like to think of you as my kink uncle. We may never have a romantic relationship, but it wouldn’t be the same if you weren’t part of my life. And not just because of Diego. Thank you for always being there for both of us, and for your amazing hugs.”
Next was Skye. “You’re my kink brother with benefits. My partner in crime. Thank you for saving me a few years ago and stalking me when Luca had his head up his ass.” He tossed his head back, grinning at his Sir, whose lips twitched even as he twisted Brooks’s nipple hard enough that my brother squealed. His voice sounded slightly strained as he finished addressing Skye. “Even if I didn’t realize what you were doing, I always felt safer knowing you hung around the same haunts as I did. Since I’ve become part of this family, you’ve become so fucking important to me. I love you, Skye. Thank you for everything.”
Skye wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed my lips firmly. “I love you too. I’m so happy to have you as my kink brother. Luca, Mav, and I were strong together, and I know they were happy, but you filled a hole I don’t think any of us realized was there. Thanks for that.”
